


Truth or Dare

by notjustmom



Series: IronStrange Bingo [15]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: First Date, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 05:50:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18462764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: Ironstrange Bingo Prompt: PiratesTony and Stephen get to know each other, post snap and unsnap...





	Truth or Dare

Ever since life, the universe and everything had returned somewhat back to normal, and the nightmares were beginning to ease a bit, Tony realized he wanted, no, needed to see Strange again. Pepper had finally thrown in the towel, he had understood, they had their chances, and though they would always be friends, she needed someone who would be there for her in the way he never could be.

Anyway, that was months ago now, and he was bored. And lonely, but it was more specific than that, he wanted to see him again, even if it was just to talk, about, well, anything, even the things he hadn't talked about since he had returned home. There hadn't been time, once they had understood what had happened to those who had turned to ash - hell.

 

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Locate one Dr. Stephen Strange, please?"

"One moment, Boss.... currently in the New York Sanctum. Shall I place a call?"

"Yes. No. I'll just drive over there, maybe pick up some dinner on the way, is he a vegetarian? I can't remember that it ever came up in our brief conversations..."

"I can check his press -"

"It doesn't matter, I'll get some of everything -"

"Boss?"

"Yes, FRIDAY?"

"You might want to shower and change?"

"Right. Thank you, FRI - what would I do without you?"

"Forget to shower and change?"

"Smarty-pants. Don't wait up."

"Good-luck, Boss."

 

"Wong."

"Stark. Is there something wrong?"

"Uhm, no. I was wondering. Thing is. I brought dinner, lots of dinner, I was hoping -"

"He's in the study."

"Great. I'm not - I mean - ?"

"To be honest, he isn't, he hasn't been himself since he's been back, I had suggested he get in touch with you, but I try not to interfere with personal -"

"Right. Can you help me unload the boxes?"

"Boxes?"

Tony looked at him sheepishly, "well, I wasn't sure if he was a vegetarian or not -"

"Definitely not."

"Good. I mean, good to know, for future reference, if -"

Wong shook his head and followed Stark to the flashy orange car, and couldn't help but laugh as Tony piled box after box into his arms, then grabbed a six pack from the trunk and double checked to be sure the car was locked. "I wasn't sure what kind of food he likes, so -"

"You bought out every restaurant in the neighborhood?" Wong asked with a grin.

"Only four of them, and I thought -"

"It is appreciated, Stark. He hasn't been sleeping, he keeps searching through the books, convinced there was something else he could have done, or should have known. You know -"

"Yeah, I do. Can you find something out of all that stuff that he will eat? And please, help yourself and anyone else - he's -?"

"In the study, up the stairs, and the second door on the left."

Tony nodded, then took the steps two at a time, and soon found himself at a beautifully carved door, and suddenly found his usual confidence had vanished.

"Come in, Stark. Door isn't locked."

Of course, he knew he was there. Damn. Once more unto the breach...

"Hey, Doc." He blinked at the figure who sat, well, hovered, cross-legged, above the ancient couch. He was even thinner than Tony remembered, and he knew what the dark circles under his eyes meant, he had seen them for weeks in his own reflection, until he stopped looking in the mirror. "I wanted to stop by sooner -"

"How are the wedding plans going?"

"Nowhere. She, we, decided to end things, a while ago."

Stephen dropped onto the couch and finally looked at Tony for the first time and shook his head. "Hell. I'm sorry, Stark, I thought -"

"Yeah, well. I've never been a treat to live with, and after - well, I think you can guess."

"I don't have to."

"I brought dinner, and beer. If you're busy-"

"No. The universe in all its dimensions has been blissfully peaceful ever since I've been back, seems I'm a bit unnecessary these days. Not busy in the least, just can't sleep, so I'm re-reading the library, again." At that moment, Wong walked in the door and Stephen closed his eyes and sighed after he sniffed the air. "Barbecue? How did you know?"

Wong winked at Tony and put two loaded plates on the table, then pulled out a bottle opener from his robe pocket and handed it to Tony, and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Tony."

"Look. Everything is back to normal, normal for Earth anyway, and I don't - I haven't, there isn't anyone who knows, understands what I see when I close my eyes, and I don't know what happened to you, not really. And I missed you."

"Have a seat and open a couple of those beers." He looked down at the food in front of him, more food than he'd seen in years and grinned up at Tony. "You didn't know what I like, so you went to the restaurants you thought I might have loved before my accident, until you found the four places I used to go to -"

"You can tell a lot from a person from what they like to eat."

"Oh yeah?" Stephen snorted, then took the offered beer and chugged half of it down, then shrugged at the bemused expression on Tony's face.

"But, when I was a kid at MIT, especially as an outsider, I learned the best way to learn about someone was to play Truth or Dare."

"Oh no, uh-uh. Nope."

"Come on, Doc. I'll even let you ask me first."

Stephen took another sip of his beer and looked into Tony's exhausted, but patiently hopeful face and realized how much he wanted him to stay. "Okay, Truth or Dare it is."

"Eat a bite first."

Stephen raised an eyebrow at him, but put the bottle down, and took a bite of coleslaw, then nodded. "Truth or Dare, Stark?"

"Truth."

"What did you want to be when you were a kid?"

Tony smirked at him, but muttered, "I wanted to be a pirate."

"Weren't you already?" Stephen asked, then regretted the words as he saw the hint of hurt in Tony's eyes.

"That was my father. Not me. I wanted to sail the seven seas, bury some treasure, not take baths... but -"

"But?"

"I get sea sick. Hate the water, almost drowned a few too many times."

"You used to live -"

"Yeah. It's how I deal with my fears. My turn. Take another bite."

"Tony." Stephen rolled his eyes at him. "I don't need -"

"Yeah, yeah you do, Doc." He watched as Stephen put a forkful of barbecue pork in his mouth and nodded. "My turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Why did you give up the Time Stone for me, really?"

"Stark. I told you."

"No. You didn't. Your last words to me were, 'there was no other way.' No other way -"

"Hell." Stephen dropped his fork and looked at his hands, then made himself look into Tony's eyes. "Every time I close my eyes to try to sleep, I see you, looking at me, asking me why, and I knew what was going to happen, to everyone, to me and Peter, and I knew what it would do to you, but it was the only scenario, out of all of the 14,000,605 futures, it was the only scenario that gave us a chance to be sitting here now. I wanted - I wanted to hate you, I knew, only bits and pieces, even before my accident, I knew you, saw you in my dreams, and of course nothing made sense until the day at the park. I didn't want to like you. It would have made it easier, if I could have just -"

"Sacrificed me?" Tony asked in a whisper.

Stephen nodded. "I had to watch all those millions of futures because I kept searching for a future where you survived, you don't want to know what it's like to see, to know. I was trying not to see you as a person, until I understood you were just as afraid as I was, and then I saw you with the kid, and how you were with Quill - you understood why he reacted as he did in that moment. I couldn't let you die that way, not when I could, not when I had the power to save you."

"Did you know I'd find a way to get you, everyone home?"

Stephen shook his head. "No. For the first time in my life I hoped there was a god, because I prayed for the first and last time in my life that you would. It was a completely selfish, irresponsible act on my part, and I am so sorry."

"You're sorry?"

Stephen nodded and waited.

Tony snorted and picked up his beer, then put it down again, and looked around the ancient walls until he spotted what he was looking for, then he slowly got to his feet, and walked over to Stephen's desk and picked up a bottle of ancient Scotch. "D'ya mind?"

Stephen shook his head.

Tony undid the top and let the scent envelope him. "Damn, you mystical artists don't mess around." He found a glass and poured himself a double, then walked back over to the couch and sat down again, and took a sip. "I didn't want to like you either. I knew you, your voice, anyway, in Afghanistan, all the times - the times when I could have, should have just given up, should have stayed on the ground and not opened my eyes, your voice made me, I kept getting up and doing whatever I had to do to survive. I hated that voice for so long. I hated you, Stephen. You made me think - I don't know. Honestly, I felt cursed."

"And now?"

"Now?" Tony put the glass tumbler down carefully, and reached out for Stephen's hands, taking them gently in his.

"Tony."

"Stephen. You brought me here, you brought me home, time after time, and now, I'm just so tired, and I want to curl up in your arms and just sleep for a couple of days, but first -" Tony brought Stephen's hands to his lips and watched Stephen's eyes close as he breathed kisses over the damaged fingers. "First, we eat."


End file.
